State in directors financial straits: Botcha Satyanarana

Vijayawada: Minister for municipal administration Botcha Satyanarana said the financial condition of the state was very poor and it was finding it difficult even to pay salaries for the staff.

He was addressing a workshop for municipal commissioners and Mepma (Mission for Elimination of Poverty in Municipal Areas) project directors here on Thursday. Speaking to media persons here on the occasion, Satyanarayana said that the government was managing the situation with great difficulty.

However, the state government was taking necessary steps to pay salaries on time. "The previous government's mistakes are the reason for the present bad financial condition of the state. Nearly Rs 15,000 crore debts are there in the municipal administration department alone," he explained.

The minister said that the government would conduct the elections for the 110 municipalities in the state in December. The state government has already filled 1.35 lakh job vacancies, he added.

Reacting to a question, he said that Anna canteens would be relaunched soon. "The state government will start the canteens at government hospitals and other public places to be more useful to the people," he said.

Satyanarayana said that the coal shortage hit the power generation resulting in power cuts in the state. Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy discussed the issue with the Centre and the Chief Minister of Telangana to solve the issue.

He hoped that the new sand policy would solve the sand shortage problem soon in the state. Speaking at the workshop, the minister said that the state government would constitute a six-member committee for studying the conditions of shelter for urban homeless people.

The government would take further steps based on the detailed report of the six members committee. The government also would utilize the services of NGOs, he said. Municipal administration department special chief secretary Shyamala Rao, commissioner G Vijaya Kumar and several officials also took part in the workshop along with the municipal commissioners.